Brian Flores – September 29, 2019 (Postgame)
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Postgame – L.A. Chargers
Head Coach Brian Flores
(This is the closest you’ve come in the fourth game. Is that good news?) – “No. I thought we could have played a lot better in that game. I think I come up here and really say a lot of the same things. I think we’re a missed block, a missed tackle, a drop, a missed kick – every week it’s a handful of plays, it’s eight to 10 plays, that if you make them, the game is different. If you don’t make them, the outcome is what it was. And that’s my message to the team. We need to start making those plays. We’ve got to coach it better, we’ve got to play better, and that’s kind of where we’re at.”
(So in your mind you don’t even measure progress?) – “I mean there’s progress, but at the end of the day this is about wins and losses. We’re 0-4. Do I see progress? Yeah, I do. These guys, they work hard, they fight hard. The effort is there. The communication is there. They practice hard. They’re doing everything. But there are some opportunities there and plays that we should make, kicks that we should make, blocks that we should make, penalties that we can’t have. There’s a lot of things that we’re hurting ourselves in a lot of ways.”
(The last three games, you keep it tight in that first half. In the second half you’re outscored 81-0 in the second half. What’s happening between the first half and second half?) – “We’ve got to make better second-half adjustments. We’ve got to play better. We’ve got to coach it better. And that’s really what it boils down to. I think we go in, we talk as a staff and we make the adjustments. We started out okay offensively, and then we got stuffed on the minus play on a run, and we couldn’t move the chains on third down, punted it, and then they went down the field offensively. We’ve got to do a better job. That’s really what it boils down to.”
(Pressure, especially with QB Philip Rivers having the opportunity to pitch and catch out there. How do you develop and get some pressure? It’s been an issue over the last couple of weeks.) – “We can blitz more. We can – Look, we had what we felt like was a good plan going in and we didn’t execute it. We didn’t execute it at all. We really only executed it the one time when we actually got some pressure on the quarterback. There’s a few different things we could do. We could pressure more, but there’s issues with pressuring more. But we had a plan going in and they did a good job, Rivers does a good job getting the ball out. But we’ve got to do a better job.”
(On the positive side, T Isaiah Prince gets a start. You move T J’Marcus Webb over to the left side. It seemed like they held their own throughout most of the game.) – “I thought from that standpoint, the offensive line played well, especially in the first half. We had some runs. We had the quarterback protected, put some drives together and we just couldn’t sustain it. At the end of the day, that’s – One half isn’t – You’ve got to play two halves in this league.”
(You had three missed field goals by K Jason Sanders. Is that becoming an issue for you?) – “I have a lot of confidence in Jason. He’s a good kicker. He makes them all in practice. I have a lot of confidence in him. So, we’ll keep kicking them. He’ll make them.”
(They came out in the second half with 16 plays and ate up 10 minutes, 33 seconds on the clock. What were seeing on that drive and how important was that for what followed given you’re your defense had to be out there for so long?) – “We could have played that better defensively. They had a couple second-and-20 situations where they picked up chunk yards and got themselves into manageable third downs and then picked those up as well. (Philip) Rivers made some really good throws. We’ve just got to make a few more plays and we’re just not making them right now. I would say in the first half we had opportunities to just tackle. If we just tackled better, some of those drives wouldn’t have been extended. We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ll come in tomorrow, make the corrections, like we do every week and get better.”
(QB Josh Rosen had the one bad pick today. How would you assess your quarterback today?) – “I thought he played well early. I thought he got the ball out quickly, got the ball in space, let the guys – our backs, our receivers – catch and run early. We had the one long play early. We had a couple of drops that didn’t help his cause. I think that would have sustained a couple drives. We had one that I think we may have scored. A couple of them may have extended some drives, and that’s something that we talked about week after week after week. Again, those eight to 10 plays could be the difference between winning and losing or a much tighter game.”
(You’re having trouble scoring in the second half, are you concerned maybe that’s becoming a trend?) – “We’re having a lot of trouble in a lot of areas in the second half. I don’t think it’s a conditioning issue. I think it’s an execution issue, a coaching issue. We’ve got to coach it better, put these guys in better positions, and we’ll do that.”
(What’s going to be your main focus during this bye week?) – “We’ll self-scout everything. We do that every week anyway; but we’ll look at player combinations. We’ll look at different groupings, any tendencies that we have – run pass, first half, second half. We’ll take a long look at the second half, obviously. That’ll be something we’ll spend a lot of time on and try to find a way to create some momentum in the second halves of games. There has been some progress over the first four games. The first quarter of the season is over, and we’ll move on to the second quarter of the season.”
Brian Flores – September 27, 2019
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Friday, September 27, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Where are you guys in the search for a right guard in terms of auditioning the possible candidates, and do you like what you see?) – “For this week?”
(Yeah.) – “I like what I see. We’ve got Shaq (Calhoun) – he finished the game last week. (Evan) Boehm, Chris Reed, Jesse (Davis) – we’ve got a list of candidates we could put out there. I like our group. We’ve got some injuries at that position, so we’re working through some things. Guys had a good week at practice, and I think I expect the guys who play – that unit that plays – to play well.”
(Are you comfortable with where G/T Jesse Davis is with the elbow and playing with the brace?) – “Jesse – he wants to play. He’s feeling a lot better. He’s been able to get out there a little bit, so we’ll see how that goes. Again, this is still a day-to-day thing. He’s dealing with the injury, but this is a tough kid who wants to be out there so we’ll see. We may have to work out before the game. We’ll just see. We’ll see how this goes.”
(Is there any consideration to T J’Marcus Webb moving possible to left tackle if G/T Jesse Davis has an injury or is right tackle really his spot right now?) – “We’ve considered all options. We’ve worked guys at all positions. We’ll continue – we’ll always do that. That’s just kind of how we have to really build versatility along the offensive line and really all positions. We worked (J’Marcus) Webb at left (tackle). We’ve worked him at guard. We’ve worked (Michael) Deiter out there obviously. Obviously, Jesse’s worked out there. We’ve worked a host of guys – (Andrew) Donnal. The guys we feel give us the best chance to win on Sunday, that’ll be the group that’s out there.”
(How much has all these injuries impacted that unit’s chemistry and the ability to develop chemistry?) – “I think when you’ve got five guys working together every week, that obviously builds continuity, chemistry and communication. The one good thing I’d say is they’ve all been hearing the same information and verbiage the last four weeks, so from a communication standpoint, that hasn’t been an issue. It’s just more a working in combination or in concert with one or two or three guys that you have to build into that. Going from right to left, left to right, center to guard – those are all different positions. At the end of the day, they’re professionals, and they really work hard at their craft. Hopefully we’ll put a group out there that works well together and communicates and will be productive on Sunday.”
(WR Albert Wilson – what is he going to bring back to this offense or what does he contribute to this offense that you think you’re going to see?) – “Well, he’s obviously (bringing) speed, athleticism, big-play ability, explosiveness, dependability. He brings all those things when he’s healthy. The big thing is getting him back out there, getting him back into a rhythm, back into the flow of things. When he’s out there, obviously he’s a very productive player so I’m looking forward to having him out there. Again, he’s another guy who’s working his way back, and hopefully we see him sooner than later.”
(Have you seen the explosion or the cutting ability since WR Albert Wilson been back?) – “He’s been working. He’s been working extremely hard. Again, you don’t go from zero to 100 or 50 to – he’s working his way back. Is he at optimum level? Really you only see that in the game, so that’s yet to be seen.”
(When I walked in the locker room yesterday, I saw QB Ryan Fitzpatrick sharing some of his long lifetime experiences with QB Josh Rosen – specific to the game plan. Like, “hey, this is what I see on this. This is what I’ve seen on this.” In the long run, do you think Josh will actually benefit more from the understanding of defenses and that sort of stuff from having experienced Ryan or more being a professional and understanding how to lead a team?) – “Hopefully it’s all of those things. That’s what you want out of your veterans on your team – to kind of show the young guys the ways from a preparation standpoint, from a ‘how to be a pro’ standpoint. That’s ‘hey, we’re watching film at this time on Tuesday, we’re doing this on Wednesday after practice, we’re doing this on Thursday after practice. I’ve seen this in games…’ I think that’s what you want out of your veteran leadership and your captains, so to me, that’s to be expected. That’s not a surprise to me at all that ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is that way. We’ve got some of the older guys who are that way as well. That’s what you want for your younger players – to see that leadership, to see that kind of veteran presence, to understand how to be a professional in this league and get better and develop, and that’s how you do it.”
Albert Wilson – September 26, 2019
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Thursday, September 26, 2019
WR Albert Wilson
(On how he feels after missing the last two games.) – “Pretty good. I’m just working my way back into things. I feel pretty good.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said there is a possibility that you can play on Sunday. Do you feel you are ready to go on Sunday?) – “Yeah, I feel really good. We’re just doing everything possible just to protect ourselves for the rest of the season and just making sure I’ll be able to go out there strong week after week. Whatever is best for me is pretty much going to happen on Sunday. But yeah, I feel good. I feel like I’m ready.”
(The whole process of dealing with the hip for several months and now a calf injury on top of it, how mentally trying and draining has it been to deal with all of that?) – “Not at all. I’m just super ready. I’m just ready to get back out there, ready to help this team out. I’m just ready to get back out there. There’s not any downfall mentally of me not behind out there. I’m just excited and I just can’t wait for it to happen.”
(Has any of this been precautionary? Could you played last week?) – “No. I don’t think I could have been out there 100 percent last week so I think that was a great decision. But yeah, I feel pretty good this week. I’ve been doing everything they ask me to do so we’ll see.”
(What was it like those first three games, you watching them on TV?) – “Just kind of heartbreaking, just not being able to help and being sidelined really sucks. But that’s why we get 16 weeks, I guess. We’re just moving on week after week and just try to try our best to figure it out.”
(Do you say anything to the other receivers? Seeing it from the TV, do you see different things or angles? Maybe encouraging them? What’s it like…) – “Definitely. I feel like we’re doing some good things. We just have to capitalize on other things and get better in the things we’re lacking in. I think the guys are doing a great job of just coming in every day and just trying to get better. This week we have another chance to prove that we got better, so that’s good.”
(Last week, a lot of balls were going downfield from QB Josh Rosen. Did you get excited now that you’re coming back and you see how that offense is with him, to maybe get a chance to be a little bit explosive there?) – “Yeah. I don’t really catch a lot of downfield balls. (laughter) It looks great though. I think he did a great job of just coming in and being prepared. I think we can help him out on our side and the receiver’s side a little more. When we get things figured out in our room and with him getting more comfortable back there, I think things will be exciting for the offense.”
(When was the last time you felt like yourself physically?) – “The Friday before the Patriots game. I was really good, ready to go, then the calf kind of happened. It kind of set me back a couple of weeks. Right now, besides back then, right now I feel really good. I feel like I’m moving smooth, moving fast, and just ready to get out there and just show the world.”
(You mean the Ravens week?) – “Ravens. My mistake, the Ravens week, yeah. So the Ravens week, that Friday the calf happened. But other than that, right now I feel really good. I got out there and moved yesterday and felt really, really good. They had to kind of hold me back from doing things. I feel good, just waiting for them to call my number so I can get in there.”
(What went into your decision to not have the hip surgery, and to let this heal naturally?) – “I didn’t need it. If we didn’t need to go in there and fix anything, and if it didn’t heal on it’s own surgery was always an option. But I think we made a good decision of not having it. It doesn’t bother me at all to this day. I think we did a good job of calling no surgery and just letting it heal naturally, and taking it’s time on its own.”
(This is all calf, not hip?) – “No, the hip feels great. The calf kind of set me back a couple of weeks, but when it’s my time, it’s going to be good, it’s definitely going to be good.”
Kenyan Drake – September 26, 2019
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Thursday, September 26, 2019
RB Kenyan Drake
(Is it encouraging despite the outcome of the last two games that at halftime, you guys were competitive? Does that encourage you for this offense?) – “This is a very results-driven league. The results are not computing with whatever encouragement that we may be trying to seek. We need to do a lot more executing before we can worry about encouraging because encouragement is not going to help this team win games. We have to go out there and play football – play meaningful football – and right now we’re focused on the Chargers to do that. We’re ready for this weekend.”
(Where is the confidence level of the team? Has it taken a little bit of a hit through three games?) – “We’re all here to do our jobs – me especially. That’s what we get paid to show up and do no matter what the results are. And every new week is a new opportunity to go out there, prove yourself, prove your worth, prove your ability to go out there and play this game to a high level. If you lack any type of confidence, then you shouldn’t be here.”
(What are some of the things that have led to your success in the last game?) – “Just taking what is there. The coaches put me in a great position to make plays. Everybody else around me was doing their job and me doing my job. If we continue to bring everything together – the culmination of everybody doing their job should equal to us having a lot more success from a numbers standpoint, and then that will equate to putting more points on the board and ultimately getting wins.”
(What does it mean to have S Reshad Jones and WR Albert Wilson back?) – “Obviously those are two playmakers on both sides of the ball, so having Reshad back will definitely bolster the defense. Having Albert ack will obviously do the same on offense. We’re encouraged by their continued growth and their rehab and hope to see them soon.”
Evan Boehm – September 26, 2019
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Thursday, September 26, 2019
C/G Evan Boehm
(You have been called ‘nasty’ and ‘salty.’ Do you like those phrases?) – “I do like those phrases. Under this offense and under this coach – especially ‘Guge’ (Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo) – he likes those nasty players that they get after it. I think one person that really helped me out last year with becoming kind of this player or taking steps into becoming that type of player is Matt Slauson. When I was up in Indy with ‘Guge’ last year, Matt was on IR but he was kind of like a second coach. He was in my ear telling me like, ‘hey, watch me do this real quick on film.’ He goes, ‘now, how could you do that in that situation?’ or ‘what could you do better here?’ He just sat me down and helped me and coached me to become a better football player and understanding the schemes but also understanding the times where you can go out there and just let loose.”
(What do you think it is about you that probably made Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo say to the team, “hey, we need to trade for this guy?”) – “I got thrown in last year in Indy in Week 6 when (Ryan) Kelly – really Week 8 – when Kelly went down. It was my second week of being there, but Kelly was down that whole first week I was there, and the second day I got there, I was running with the ones. I had to learn everything fast on the run. I think my football intelligence. I think learning the offenses quick, picking up the offenses and just understanding what he wants out of certain players and understanding what he wants out of certain positions because every position is going to be different. Center is totally different than right guard, and right guard and left guard – they’re very similar, but at some points they are different. Tackles are out on their island doing their own thing. I think understanding how to play that guard and center spot really helps me out.”
(How does this line get better? I know you guys have a lot of adversity with the injuries, a lot of people and moving pieces…) – “It’s buying in. It’s buying in and I think it starts with the leadership Danny (Daniel Kilgore) gives, and he hasn’t wavered once. His attitude has always been the same since Day 1 since I’ve been here about getting in there, working your tail off, going and getting your job done and making sure your job gets done right. Like I said, when I got interviewed first when I first got here, I’m here to help this team out. I’m here to help this team win in any way, shape or form. I think if everybody goes back and looks over the last three weeks, we’ve gotten better as an offensive line. We’re buying into ‘Guge’s’ techniques and his terminology and what he wants and what he needs from all of us to become that offensive line. We have to protect Josh (Rosen). We have to protect Ryan (Fitzpatrick) if he’s out there. We have to open up the holes for ‘K.D.’ (Kenyan Drake) and ‘K.B.’ (Kalen Ballage) when they’re in there, and we’ve got to understand that it’s five guys doing one job. That’s pretty much the hardest thing on the field because you’ve got wide receivers running their own routes and yeah, they play off of each other, but you have five dudes playing under one. It’s like a chain: if one is weak, it’s all broke. We’ve all got to buy in and understand what he wants and what he needs to get the ball in the playmaker’s hands fast.”
(So you mentioned guard and center, and I’m presuming you’re training at guard at the moment?) – “Guard and center. I’m doing both.”
(What’s the difference?) – “Just the footwork. One, you’ve got the ball in your hand. You start with the ball. You’re in front of everybody else. Especially in pass pro(tection), trying to get back on the same level with everybody else when you have a head or you have a shade to your left or right and you’re trying to get over there square so you’re all on the same level squared up, that’s tough. It’s a tough job; or when you go into reach on an outside zone or do something on an inside zone, you’re in front of everybody else. You get contacted faster than everybody else, so you have to be better with your footwork. At guard, you’re in a box between the tackle and the center, but you still have to understand the lanes and the angles and the stuff that we have to do to get done in order to help the center out and the tackle out at the same time.”
(How did you feel it went for you when you went into the game?) – “I had fun. It’s always fun getting out there and playing ball. This is a job, but ultimately it’s a game. You love going out there and having fun. I think we played fairly decent as an offensive line for the most part. There are still a lot of corrections that we have to make. There are still a lot of things that we left out there on the table that we saw Monday when we came in. ‘Guge’ is doing a great job and Danny (Kilgore) and even Jesse (Davis), they’re all doing a great job with keeping the young guys up and keeping the young guys going and making sure that they’re still in it. It’s Week 4. We’ve got a lot of games ahead of us. If we keep progressing to become a better offensive line, things could turn around.”
(Did you see the video of the LSU guard who just on a pass block demolished a dude and then knocked him down again?) – “Yeah, that’s unbelievable. That was unbelievable. I think it was a different dude.”
(What did you think when you saw that?) – “That’s an animal. That’s an animal right there. That’s always fun to get. That’s what you look for on offensive line. If you’re an open guy on a pass pro(tection), that’s what you look for and stuff like that. It was cool seeing that. You’ve always got to give the big men some love every once in a while when stuff goes wrong. When ‘stuff’ goes wrong, the finger gets pointed real quick to the five guys up front. When it goes right, we’re the undercover guys. That’s what we signed up for. That’s what we love about the job.”
(I’ve never met you but you seem like such a nice guy. How do you turn into this different person on the field?) – “That’s what my wife asks. (laughter) That’s just my personality. I grew up a coach’s kid. I’ve grown up around football, and I know how to flip a switch, I feel like. I can be in the locker room having fun and joking around. I could be on the sideline talking and having fun, but then you have to understand there’s a time and place and when you step over the white line, the time is now and (you have to be) ready to turn it on.”
(Where does your dad coach?) – “In Kansas City. Lee’s Summit West High School. He’s retired now, but I grew up around it. I just love the game.”
(Were you a ball boy your whole life?) – “I was, yeah. Oh, yeah.”
(How many years did he coach?) – “All in all, I think he coached 32 years, but he was a head coach for 16. He took the high school that he was the head coach at – he was the defensive coordinator for a while, and then at a brand new high school, he was the head coach for the first 16 years. There are three high schools in Lee’s Summit, and he brought the first three state championships to Lee’s Summit.”
(Did you know DE Charles Harris?) – “Funny story because Coach (Andy) Hill was our recruiting coach for Missouri and Coach Hill was talking to my dad one day when he came in for a recruiting trip, and he was like, ‘hey, is there anybody that you’ve seen in the metro that we could take a look at that’s a sleeper that maybe we can take away from somebody else?’ I think Charles was a basketball player mainly in high school so a very raw talent in football. My dad was like, ‘Yo, go check this guy out because we’ve seen him on some film,’ and Coach Hill fell in love with him. We were at Missouri together. I didn’t know Charles in high school. I knew him more when we got to Missouri, but Kansas City kids tend to stick together. It’s cool to be Kansas City kids from Mizzou, and now we’re here together, so it’s awesome.”
(Did the playing time Sunday leave you jumping for you?) – “Oh, yeah. My mouth is watering. I want some more. (laughter)”
Brian Flores – September 26, 2019
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Thursday, September 26, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I know obviously you want all your players to play well, but there’s a handful of veterans on the team who aren’t playing at the level they have in the past. I know it’s a small sample size. Do you go to them and challenge them saying, “I need more?” What’s your approach with that group?) – “I challenge everybody. Everyone in the building – players, coaches, security, weight staff – everyone gets challenged. It’s a total team effort. Individually, we all have to do a better job. Even the guys who are playing well or playing well in spurts – everyone gets challenged. We want everyone to play at a – we have a high standard. I have a high standard. We’re not playing up to that standard right now, and we need to try to work towards that. It starts in practice. It starts in meetings. It’s never just one player in a team game like this. From play to play it could be one or two guys; but collectively, it’s everyone. We all have to try to meet that standard and play to our potential.”
(Who challenges you besides Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross and General Manager Chris Grier?) – “Our coaching staff. I like communication. I like to be challenged. Our coaching staff – we sit in meetings. We go back and forth about things we feel like are best for individual players, the team, etc. At the end of the day, I have final say; but I’m always going to do what I feel is best for the team. That communication sparks a different line of thinking at times. I think that’s needed in really any field and any environment. It’s something that I relish. I want communication from players, from coaches, from personnel. Again, I’ve never sat here and said I have all the answers. At the end of the day, somebody’s got to make a final decision. That falls on me; but in order to make that decision, you need to have all the pertinent information. I’m trying to gather that at all times in a myriad of areas whether it be offense, defense, special teams, personnel. There are a hundred different areas where I’m trying to gather information to make the right decision for this organization.”
(What do you think of Chargers DE Joey Bosa?) – “(laughter) I think he’s one of the top young players in this league. His combination of size, speed, athleticism and just strictly pass rush. His pass rush technique is at the top of the league. He’s got an array of rushes. He’s got power. He’s got speed. He’s got – we can get into the technical terms – doubles – we can get into all the technical terms but he’s got it all. The one thing he has is a very, very high motor. Even when he doesn’t win on the snap, he can win with his second effort and third effort. That’s what you’re looking for, so that’ll be a major test for us. Just from a pure effort standpoint, we’ve got to finish every snap on that particular player. It’s not just him. (Melvin) Ingram has an array of moves and the type of tenacity – it’s coming from both sides. Really, that’s the case throughout the entire defense. They do a good job. Obviously those two are the two guys who you definitely have to have eyes on. From (Brandon) Mebane to – they’ve got the young guy (Jerry) Tillery in there who’s a good young player as well. Obviously Thomas Davis, Casey Hayward – they’ve got a good team. It’s not just one guy, it’s not just two guys; they’ve got 11 and some guys who come in the game as (backups). I think of (Desmond) King – their nickel – who’s a really good player as well. So it’s a good team.”
(From a player evaluation standpoint, where do you rank high motor and effort as traits when you’re looking for players?) – “I think it’s something that is one of those things to me, that’s just a standard operating procedure. That’s how you should play the game. It’s a privilege to play this game. Our guys play with good effort and you see it. It’s just, ‘hey, that’s the way it’s supposed to be played.’ At times, it’s not always the case. Guys get tired, they’re not conditioned, etc. But effort, motor, tenacity, willingness to put in the work to have the conditioning to play at that level over the course of an entire game – I think that speaks volumes for a player. I know we’re talking about (Joey) Bosa, but a guy who has all the talent, has all the height, weight, speed – you can tell there’s no complacency to that young man. That’s why he plays the way he plays. They’ve got a lot of players like that. To me, that’s how you’re supposed to play this game. I think we’ve got a group of guys who play that way as well.”
(I know there are some reports out there that Chargers RB Melvin Gordon is going to report. He may not play but in the event that he does play, is that something that you are prepared for?) – “Yeah, we’re prepared for everyone. The second that got reported, I went to my Melvin Gordon tape and took a look. I have some familiarity with him. This is one of the best backs in the league running the football. He runs hard, breaks tackles, catches it out of the backfield. He’s a good player. But they’ve got good backs. We talked about (Austin) Ekeler yesterday and (Justin Jackson). They’ve got an array of backs. Just add one more to the preparation and away we go.”
(What did you see from C/G Evan Boehm after he came into the game?) – “I thought he played hard. I thought from an assignment standpoint, he knew where to be and what to do. His communication was good. Again, it’s a tough environment (with) crowd noise (and) good players. It wasn’t all perfect, but he’s a guy who has gotten better since he’s gotten here every week and getting more comfortable. Hopefully that continues.”
(With QB Josh Rosen, DT Robert Nkemdiche and DE Taco Charlton, you guys have acquired some first-round players. Do players who are first-round players, do you think that when they don’t pan out immediately, that they have adequate time to develop in this NFL climate where expectations are so high for those players?) – “First round, second round, undrafted, I think you can get players really anywhere from a draft selection or undrafted. Really what matters is when you get into a building and you learn the offense or the defense or the kicking game, you apply yourself in the meeting room and through walkthroughs and in practice, and you just try to be the best player you can be. To me, the round doesn’t – I’m not really locked in on the rounds. My focus is on the individual player. If you get caught up in rounds and things of that nature then that kind of takes some of the focus off of the individual and in this case, his ability to reach his potential for his skillset. That’s kind of my thinking on that. I throw the rounds out and I just focus on the player.”
(How do you kind of help a player deal with those expectations?) – “It’s the same message I give to the players every day: let’s focus on today. Let’s not worry about what round you’re in. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the work you put in on a day-to-day basis and whether or not you are doing the things necessarily to become the best player you can be. Worrying about what round you’re in, I don’t know if that necessarily helps you. Conversely, worrying about not being drafted or getting drafted late or whatever the circumstances are that you end up on a team, worrying about that doesn’t help you on the field. Maybe it gives you a little bit of motivation; but to me, if you aren’t motivated to play in this league – maybe that gives you a little extra but most guys are motivated to play and compete and get better. I see that on this team. I see that from (Robert) Nkemdiche, from Taco (Charlton), from really everyone. It doesn’t matter (if they were selected in the) first round, second round, undrafted, Canadian – the CFL – it doesn’t matter. That’s what I’m looking for. I think those are the kinds of guys we have on this team and I think those are the guys who develop.”
(Do you like to watch Thursday Night Football, like the whole game? Parts of it? Can you watch football for enjoyment or the whole time will you be like scouting the Eagles because you know you have them?) – “The game is on in the background. A lot of times, I’m watching situations so the end of the half and how they’re using their timeouts and would I have challenged that. That’s kind of how I watch the game. I wouldn’t say it’s – I feel like I’m still working in a lot of ways. Thursday is a big night for us. It’s red zone and 2-minute and kind of finishing up – like every other team – the installs and preparation for the next opponent. So no, I’m not sitting there watching the entire game with popcorn. (laughter) I’m not doing that. But it’s on in the background. I love watching football. I just watch it a little bit differently than I have in the past.”
(What about Saturdays?) – “College football?
(Oh yeah.) – “I have yet to watch one.”
(You haven’t watched any college football?) – “I watched the end of the Georgia game. It was after meetings. Georgia vs. Notre Dame – it was actually the last play. It was a Hail Mary at the end. That’s all I’ve got. (laughter)”
(No Boston College?) – “No. Unfortunately I haven’t watched much of that. We’ve got some other things going on here. (laughter) I think the guys at BC will forgive me for not watching every one.”
Brian Flores – September 25, 2019 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call with Los Angeles Media
(What did you make of QB Josh Rosen’s first start and just his overall development as a quarterback?) – “He got off to a good start in the game last week. He managed the game. He got us in and out of the huddle. He got us in the correct plays, made some throws early. I’d like to see him get out of bounds a little bit sooner, but this is a tough kid. He wants to make plays, and I thought he got off to a good start.”
(Is there anything that you can glean from obviously calling the defense last postseason against the Chargers? It’s pretty similar personnel here still. Is there anything you can glean from that defensive game plan against this guys?) – “More than anything, I just have familiarity with the roster starting with Philip (Rivers). This guy is a very cerebral quarterback. He gets these guys out of bad plays, into good plays – run, pass, play-action, down the field, short. (Austin) Ekeler I think is playing really well. Keenan Allen is playing really well. I hear Melvin Gordon might be out there, so they’ve got plenty of weapons; but there is some familiarity. But that familiarity is that this this is a tough offense to go against.”
(Speaking about the running backs, how have you seen the offense for the Chargers change a little bit with RB Austin Ekeler and RB Justin Jackson taking the line share of carries?) – “Well, Justin Jackson I’d say is explosive. I think he’s averaging seven yards a carry. This guy’s a good back. Ekeler is a good back, a good receiver. It’s almost like you’re playing another receiver out there when he’s split out, so you’ve got to be conscious of him. He does a good job on screens. They do a lot with their running backs. They play them as receivers, they play them as backs, those two are in there together sometimes, so they pose a lot of issues. (They are) good in both the run and pass game, so that along with the quarterback getting them in and out of plays – getting them into the best play, I should say – makes it tough.”
(Tell me a little bit about WR Preston Williams and his evolution as a player from going undrafted to being a guy at the wide receiver position that is getting a lot of receptions.) – “Preston came in as an undrafted player. He has size, has speed, has athletic ability. He’s really worked hard since he got here. Football is really important to him. He works at his fundamentals and his technique on a daily basis. We see improvement from him every week. That’s really what we want out of all our players, especially our young guys. It’s important that we develop them. He’s done a good job so far, but like I always say to these guys – I’m sure Coach Lynn (Chargers Head Coach Anthony Lynn) is saying the same thing – it’s about consistency and doing it play after play after play, day after day after day. That’s what makes a good player.”
(Obviously defensively, the team hasn’t probably done as well as you would have hoped, but guys like LB Jerome Baker and LB Raekwon McMillan – has there been some silver lining with some of your younger players on defense that you’ve seen so far this year?) – “Yeah, I think we see flashes from a lot of players: (Jerome) Baker, (Davon) Godchaux, Raekwon (McMillan), Xavien (Howard), Bobby McCain. I think we’ve played well in spurts but like I just said, it’s about being consistent and playing not for a quarter, not for a half, not for three quarters, but doing it for over 60 minutes over the course of a 60-minute game. I think every coach is – we’re all trying to attain that level of consistency over the course of the entire ballgame. We’re working towards that and these guys – they’ve put in a lot of effort and hopefully we can turn things around.”
Josh Rosen – September 25, 2019
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Wednesday, September 25, 2019
QB Josh Rosen
(With the way the offensive line has been so unsettled, guys coming and going and now the injuries, how would you describe the challenges from your perspective of dealing with that?) – “Sooner or later I think we’ll get some consistency going, but we’re just trying to find the best spots to put guys in. Whether my offensive line – whatever kind of condition they’re in – I’m always trying to push anticipation, just trying to get the ball out as quick as possible to always help them out. I think it doesn’t really change anything I do. On certain situations, just a little bit of heightened awareness of where my issues are. Like this last game, (Michael) Deiter is a hell of a player; but he’s just not really a natural left tackle, so those kinds of things you just got to be aware of. I dealt with it a lot last year in Arizona, so (we will) sort of continue to figure out – I think it actually makes you a little bit better, because you have to work the pocket a little more, get the ball out quick. Hopefully it’ll help me in the long run.”
(It’s obviously not ideal the situation you’ve been in in terms of you haven’t played with four All-Pros on your offensive line in either spot, so that’s a negative in terms of judging you. Are there any positives do you think in terms of playing with rebuilding units that maybe aren’t as developed? Can you see any positives in that from your standpoint?) – “Yeah, absolutely. As I was saying earlier, I think a lot of the reason that Tom (Brady) and a lot of these great – Drew (Brees) – and all of them can play for so long is because – unfortunately Drew got hurt – but is because they can get the ball out so quickly, so they’re not really taking that many hits and they understand defenses so well, so it can take some stress off of their offensive line and get the ball in their playmakers hands and let them make plays. I think in situations like this, where maybe you have to push the clock a little bit, I think that could be really good for my development as it has been up until this point.”
(Do you have a number in your head as far as how many seconds in a typical play you want to…?) – “No. It all depends on what we’re trying to accomplish, whether we’re sending all our guys out trying to get something quick. Sometimes protection is a little counterintuitive where you might think put as many guys in the box to block as you can. It might work, but you’ve got less guys running routes and it’s still the same one-on-one matchups inside, they just sometimes add players on top. So, sometimes it’s a little counterintuitive and you might spread guys out and you might get the ball out quick, might help them out a little bit. But at the same time, bringing guys in and max protecting is also always valuable as well. I think it all depends in the situation. Clocks are different and objectives for different plays and where you’re trying to go, so I can’t give you a specific answer.”
(You’ve talked about how important the Mike point is in this offense and for the quarterback. Could you let us in on what everything it is that you need to process or that gets processed when that thing happens?) – “I think I will say that I finally have gotten over that hump. I think finally I’m starting to really pick up front IDs pretty well. Dallas runs a little bit more of a vanilla system, because they’re really good at what they do. That’s just kind of their style. It was good for that to be my first game. But I’m starting to really feel a little more comfortable with regards to that front ID stuff that I was struggling with a little while ago. It’s essential to know exactly where your issues are. In certain situations, you’re not going to fix everting. If they’re blitzing – If they blitz and they’re always going to bring one more guy than you, then at least you know where that guy is coming from, so you know which way to slide, where to drift or where to set the protection for the particular routes, because Dan Kilgore is an unbelievable center, but he just doesn’t know all the routes. I think where sometimes if you can fill that void in communication, I think it can be a positive.”
(I imagine you grew up following Chargers QB Philip Rivers. Do you know him at all and what do you admire most about him?) – “Freshman year at UCLA, Noel Mazzone was my coordinator and he I think was Philip’s coordinator at NC State, so he would sometimes stop by. I got to meet him briefly, but I haven’t really got to talk to him too much. But he’s an unbelievable player. When I played him last year, I think he almost was one throw short of a perfect game, which is hard to compete with. He’s an unbelievable player. Coach (Mike) McCoy last year in Arizona with me as well. As he’s installing his offense with us in Arizona, we’re watching a ton of Philip film with his time with the Chargers. (He is an) unbelievable player and it’s fun to watch.”
(Do you remember following him as a kid?) – “Not like very detailed, but I grew up an Eagles fan. I followed Donovan McNabb when I was a kid. (laughter)”
(I just figured it was in the neighborhood or nearby.) – “A little further south, but yeah.”
(I know you mentioned last week your style is aggressive. How would you grade your aggression last week?) – “That’s a good question. I think pretty good. I think we had a goal. I don’t really want to say what the goal was, but I think (we) roughly hit our goal in terms of aggression and whatnot. I tried to give my guys a couple chances. DeVante (Parker) made an awesome play at the beginning of the game. I remember I chucked a third-and-long later in the game. It was kind of throwing up a prayer, but I think it’s all about taking calculated risks. You never want to chuck up a pick; but in certain situations, you definitely want to push it down the field and know who your guys are. I thought I did a pretty good job in terms of aggression.”
(An aggression goal?) – “Yeah, you usually have – You usually think out how you want to tempo a game. It’s sort of a general offensive principle like this is what we want to attack.”
(How many throws downfield?) – “Kind of. Yeah, a little bit. Not exactly, but yes.”
(How do you handle communication and positivity with teammates when mistakes occur?) – “Just a positivity thing. I think sometimes when – Unfortunately I’m a little – I’ve lost a good amount of games last year and a half, but I think sometimes when the game is getting a little bit out of hand, sometimes you just want to reign everyone’s focus and be like, ‘Let’s just play good football that we’re proud of. This is still a game. Let’s have fun, smile.’ If you grab someone’s shoulder pads and they’re pissed off and you make them smile before they leave, I think it always works a little bit. But for the most part, I think in that huddle sometimes you’re just like, ‘Guys, it’s not –” Like when we played – Sorry this is kind of weird to bring up a college thing but we played Texas A&M (and needed) a big comeback, and we’re down a bunch of points. I’m like, ‘Guys, who really cares about that? Let’s just play good football. Let’s do what we were brought here to do and let’s just have some fun.’ I think sometimes with enough of those words of encouragement, it can snowball into actually manifesting itself in real positive plays, drives, quarters and wins.”
(Did it work that day?) – “It did.”
(You seem to have really good chemistry with WR Preston Williams and I know everyone is an individual, but how do you get close to that with the other guys and how long does that typically take?) – “Reps. I really haven’t gotten – I think part of the reason I have chemistry with Preston is because he wasn’t really in the starting lineup with me all throughout OTAs and the beginning of training camp. So, I really haven’t gotten a lot of reps with these guys. DeVante (Parker) is pretty easy to throw to. You can put in it in the general vicinity and he’ll find it. But still getting my chemistry down with Jakeem (Grant). I remember I’d air-mailed one to him at New England. Albert (Wilson) is coming out, so that’s someone new. All of the tight ends – Mike (Gesicki) and Durham (Smythe). ‘K.D.’ (Kenyan Drake) and Kalen (Ballage). It’s just reps. I’ve just thrown with Preston a good amount, so time will come.”
